Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-04-07

| Is not obliged TO divide these appointments |
between the parties, but lie has decided that
one Of the investigators shall be republican. |
| He will try to get at least one man specially |
| qualified for investigating railroad accounts |
| upon this commission, and he intends to
have one man we'll known to the country at
| large as a guarantee of the faithfulneSS and
| lmpartiality OF the work. AS this commits
| sion is to report to congress next December,
! it can not be appointed and get to work too
| soon, for there Is an immense amount OF
temporary and having no great amount OF
| honor attached to them. there is some
difficulty IN getting the men the president
wants, although the pay is SOD Il month.
j. Sterling Morton, OF Nebraska, mas Deen
mentioned as probable appolntee
/ SHADY LAND CLAIMS.
/ The commissioner of the general land
i Office has approved and sent to the secretary
of the interior for TRANSMISSION to congress
reports from the surveyor general OF New
! Mexico in private land claims as follows:
The Sierra MoSea claim Tor 200 acres.
He recommends this claim for rejection on
the grounds that the evidence is not sufficient
to make out case.
acres. The surveyor general says that the
evidence in this case fails to show that the
grantee ever entered into the actual posses
sion of the land or complied with other
conditions of title required by the royal laws
of Spain. The claim is recommended for
rejection.
The Arroyo de San Lorenzo claim for 1885,
139 acres was also recommended for rejection
for similar reasons.
The San Clements claim for ST. Alb acres
and the Muestra Sonora del PIlas claim for
q, AIS acres were recommended for rejection
) on the ground that no evidence OF any right
or title in the claimants to the tracts described
has been produced.
SEISMIC PHENOMENA.
Capt Clarence E. Dutton, chief of the
| of in 0f
, survey, Will read paper at the next meet
! ing of the National academy, which takes
t place the third week in April, embodying
t the results of the study Of an immense mass
: of data upon the Charleston earthquake
f He does not purpose going beyond we'll
proved facts as to the nature, origin, and in
n Guence of seismic phenomena, but he be-
9 lleyeS that the material ia hand, when fully
q worked up, will add much to tile mass Of
human knowledge regarding to the rate of
f motion of earth waves and kindred points Of
q scientific interest and that it will be eSpecia-
: ly valuable i'll suggestions for the observation
d and study of future phenomena. The advance
made lattery in respect to a knowledge of
earthquake phenomena may be illustrated
n by a single point The recorded rate OF
+ motion of earthquakes OF history varies from
: 800 to 900 meters per second. The data upon
the Charleston disasters prove conclusively
;. that its earth-waveS travelled between 4,OOe
-. and 5000 meters per second, While French
: journals at hand containing observations
9 upon the Riviera shocks gave rates almost
. as high. 1t is not to be supposed that modern
, earthquakes are more energetic than their
!. predecessors, but it is certain that modern
f methods and opportunities give safer results.
Q A NATIONAL GUN FOUNDRY.
/ Secretary Whitney is considering the plans
i submitted by the board appointed to ascer
e tain the amount OF plant required to equiv
1t foundry. He has been in consultation with
e ordnance officers, and it is probable that the
II plans ultimately decided upon will be
, made public in short time. While
the report of the board will form the basis OF
V the scheme of reconstruction of the yard, ye
e a considerable reduction will be made in the
e expenditure proposed by it, mainly in the
/. direction OF utilizing many OF the buildings
l. now standing, instead OF tearing them dOWT
II and building new ones, as recommended by
e the board.
!. AS soon as the plans are decided upon WORK
a will be begun on the machinery and plant
e Worry fov of tho largo tools Snnh as lathes
|, and steam hammers. necessary for The
finishing of heavy ordnance can be procured
s by purchase in this country, SO that it will bt
/, necessary for the new foundry to make mos
Il of its tools. 1t is believed that two years
Il time will be necessary for the completion o.
n the plant large enough TO turn out the heavy
e calibers OF steel ordnance, but meanwhile
n the foundry will be able to handle materia
# for guns not exceeding six inches in caliber
@ Every effort will be made to have the plan
Il completed in time to undertake the makins
n of the heavier pieces when the deliveries o.
u steel begin under the new proposals.
l. IN FAVOR OF THE SETTLERS.
g Commissioner Sparks has given decision
which is of special Importance to settlers
r on public lands and against the Northern
e Pacific and the ST. Paul, Minneapolis G
# Manitoba and st. Vincent Extension Rail
IS way Companies. According to the state
l. ment made to the Land-Office, in 1870 JONI
e u. Kosboth received grant of land under
|, the Homestead laws, at Fergus Falls, Mimi.
e and built two houses and broke two acres
e of ground. Subsequently he returned tx
I Syracuse, n. Y, where he died in the sum
L mer OF 1872. Afterward this tract Of land
: was claimed by the Northern Pacific Rail
S road Company, claim being set up that il
) had been abandoned by Kosboth and should
revert to the company. June 10, 1884, Knud
LevorSen applied to enter the same piece OF
4 ground and wanted it excepted from the
: land given the railroad company. This ap-
e pllcauon was refused by the Register of the
9 Land-otlce, who, after hearing evidence on
Y both sides, approved the course. Of the rail
Q road company. An appeal was taken and
5 Sparks reversed the Registers action. The
. Commissioner holds that the fact of Kos.
both not complying with the requirements
OF the PreemptiOn law in respect to resi-
dence upon the land was not a factor in the
case, and neither of the railroad companies
can profit by it. If this decision is sustain
2 ed by the Secretary of the Interior it will be
OF much advantage to settlers along the
{ Northern Pacific.
LEGISLATIVE STATISTICS.
The very great Importance of taking
I private legislation out of congress so that
congress can get time for the public bills is
| shown in statistical statement of the work
of the forty-ninth congress which Speaker
Carlisle has just had prepared. In the late
, congress L, 260 house bills, 266 house joint
resolutions, s.: IS senate bills, and lis senate
joint resolutions were introduced. This
5 makes grand total of 1902, against II, 2s3
In the forty eighth congress-. In the late con-
gFeSS the house passed l, 372 house bills and
/ 81 house joint resolutions, a total of 1,429,
I the senate passed S9S senate bills and SO
senate JOINT resolutions, a total of ops, or g
! 81 for both houses. The senate passed l.
2G2 house bills and so house joint resolutions.
in all ,252, but the house passed OILY 405
senate bills and Is senate joint resolutions
: The president approved 665 private and 2.2
public house bills, 5 private and 81 public
house Joint resolutions, 211 private and 122
public senate bills 5 private and Is public
senate joint reSolutionS-a grand total of
appr0vaIS of 1,2S0 One hundred and fifty